SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The Santa Fe High School basketball team will not be competing in the upcoming state tournament after an incident on a bus left a player with a broken nose.
School officials also placed head Coach David Rodriguez on leave, and the school district confirmed it’s investigating hazing allegations.
The investigation stems from a Feb. 5 incident while the boys basketball team rode from Rio Rancho to Santa Fe. Surveillance video from inside the bus shows young players on the team being punched repeatedly.
The video, released by state police earlier this week, did not include audio so it’s unclear if the coaches were aware of the fracas taking place in the back of the bus.
“There is reason to believe what happened on the bus ride back from a basketball game may have been more than an isolated incident. If so, this behavior is even more egregious,” Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Joel Boyd said in a statement.
Rodriguez’s fate has not been determined, but Boyd said nothing is off the table. Rodriguez has not returned phone or text messages seeking comment.
Rodriguez is in his fifth year of his second stint as head coach. He also coached the team from 1992 to 2002.
Boyd said that while evidence suggests the team has been engaging in this type of behavior for some time, he doesn’t believe it extends to other sports teams in the district.
Both students and adults involved will be held accountable, he said.
State police investigated the Feb. 5 incident and closed the case without filing any charges.
Players told Boyd during a meeting Wednesday that they saw the incident more as “brotherly behavior.” The district plans to meet with the parents of the team members and then hold larger discussions to change that attitude, he said.
Boyd also acknowledged that the team wasn’t happy about his decision.
Eldorado will take Santa Fe’s place in the tournament for a first-round game on Saturday.
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